North Korean leader Kim Jong Un today claimed that his nation has mastered the miniaturization of nuclear warheads, according to the North Korean state media, saying they have “standardized” on a size to fit their missiles and are ramping up the power of their arsenal.
North Korean officials have made similar claims in the past, though the Pentagon has doubted this, saying North Korea is likely several years away from actually turning their handful of underground explosions into a deliverable weapon.
It’s unlikely US officials will be as loudly public with their doubts about North Korea’s capabilities at this time of year, however, as during their annual military drills with South Korea, officials are eager to talk up the “threat” posed by North Korea.
Claims attributed to Kim Jong Un about the nuclear program are almost always overblown, as he claimed their most recent detonation was a hydrogen bomb, despite all evidence showing it was much too small to be one.